Skift Take
When it comes to planning and executing your event, time is easily your most valuable asset. And with so many moving parts involved, managing your time can become a monstrous task. Throw in delegates, keynote speakers, trade show presenters, and partners, and it can be tough to balance increasing expectations with decreasing patience for disruptions or delays.
This is a sponsored post written by Andrew Tyne, Event Manager with the Halifax Convention Centre. More information about Event Manager Blog’s sponsored posts.
Cue your venue partner. From arming you with a reliable primary point-of-contact to providing you with trusted in-house suppliers to offering you a flexible space that can be easily converted – your event venue can help you save time so you can focus on creating an exceptional delegate experience.
Here are six ways you can leverage your venue’s expertise to help you save time (and energy) during your next event.
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Limit The Surprises
Event planners know that pre-planning can make or break your event. Sweating the details early can save you unnecessary stress and precious time during your event. Creating a checklist at the start of your planning process can ensure no ball is dropped. Whether you’re working from your laptop or editing on the fly right from your cellphone, online project management tools can help you manage your growing lists and prioritize tasks as needed.
Talk to your partners. From tech requirements to menu selections, to event logistics and signage placement – take advantage of the experts to help you fill the gaps and ensure you’re prepared for just about everything. When it comes to your venue, request a primary point-of-contact to manage requirements, requests, and in-house relationships. This will reduce surprises when you’re on-site and ensure that your every need is being taken care of.
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Work With In-House Suppliers
As you plan for things like audiovisual, meals, WiFi, and security (to name a few), consider working with your venue’s in-house suppliers. This is helpful for a number of reasons.
On-site vendors have been vetted by your venue and are part of their team, so you know that they will take pride in providing top-notch service. They also know the venue intimately. They know how it works, they know where things are, they know how to get the most from the acoustics, and they have everything they need on-site to support you. Need a toggle for the projector? It’s tucked away in a closet, ready for quick access. Did a screw come loose in one of the trade show booths? There’s someone nearby, with the tools needed, to replace it. Better yet, they can be thinking about you ahead of your event to have everything you need ready to go – a luxury lost with external suppliers. This not only cuts down on what you need to arrange, it reduces the amount of time it takes to find any solution.
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Create A Space That Works Hard, Fast
Optimizing your space is a key component of planning your event. Flexibility in your room configurations can maximize the rooms you have access to, while saving time between different uses. Column-free and easily divisible rooms means you can turn a convention hall into classrooms in a matter of minutes. Dinners can be turned into dances with a magnetic, easy-to-implement dance floor. Modern venues are designed to be responsive to your needs, and leveraging in-house expertise to find practical configurations can save a lot of time.
It’s the little details that can have a big impact on time, too. Something as simple as having linen-less table settings means your venue can convert an upscale ballroom dinner to a number of classrooms in a shorter time. Having good lifts, storage areas, and access to trolleys increases efficiency. This limits the stress of managing room logistics, and reduces the risk of gaps in your itinerary as room changes take place
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Create A Flexible Menu
Work with your venue’s in-house culinary experts to create a seamless food and beverage experience. With their insight and foodie knowledge, you’ll save time planning your menu and managing unexpected culinary requirements throughout your event.
Whether it’s a last-minute delegate request or an unreported dietary restriction, an on-site culinary team has easy access to alternate ingredients, a full kitchen, and the resources needed to adjust the menu on the fly, as needed. They have quick access to local producers and can easily access seasonal, local ingredients to make adjustments with minimal disruptions to the delegate experience.
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Think About The Technology
Technology can do a lot of heavy lifting to help you save time, or, when not working properly, can be the cause of time lost. Lighting, WiFi, rigging, screens and sound are just a few of the elements you need to think about during your event. If things go wrong, you need support, fast.
Leveraging your venue’s in-house technology services can help limit the time needed to resolve network issues or respond to audiovisual requests because you have immediate access to on-site support throughout the course of your event. When it comes to delegate experience, a strong technology team can ensure no one is waiting around while you search for a mystery replacement cord or try to track down a technician at the last minute. They can also help to keep attendees moving and in the right place at the right time by ensuring digital signage is up-to-date at all times.
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Keep The Lines Of Communication Open
While on-site, use your venue’s primary point-of-contact to manage any unexpected bumps or issues, so that your time remains protected and focused on the task at hand. Staying in regular contact with your venue partner is easier than ever thanks to technology.
Request your contact’s cellphone number and ask them if it’s okay to text. Gone are the days of phone tag and missed calls – texting keeps the lines of communication open throughout your event. Whether you’re in the middle of a keynote speech, or your contact is away from his or her desk, texting increases the likelihood that you’ll get a timely response and solution when face-to-face isn’t an option. That way, your venue contact can work with different teams to react quickly if something requires immediate attention.
In Conclusion
At the end of the day, delegates attend your event expecting a flawless experience. You have a lot of moving pieces to consider and execute, and your venue can help you manage all of those important details.
Timing is crucial, and remaining efficient throughout your event can be the difference between a good delegate experience and a great one. Taking advantage of the tools and resources available through your venue partnership can ensure you stay focused on providing an unforgettable event experience.
September 28th, 2017 at 10:05 AM EDT
